In today's health conscious society, exercise and participation in sports have become increasingly popular activities. However, as interest and activity in exercising and participation in sports has increased, so have sports injuries. In particular, leg and back injuries due to overexertion, strain, or contact during exercise and sporting contests have increased. Additionally, rehabilitation and physical therapy for the handicapped has become a field of growing concern for the greater health of handicapped persons. As a result, sports medicine and rehabilitative therapy have become fields of increased interest, with rehabilitation techniques being developed which concentrate on stretching and exercising a particular injured area, such as a knee, ankle, or foot. Such rehabilitative and therapeutic techniques are specifically designed to strengthen and rehabilitate injured joints and limbs and/or to aid in increasing the mobility and self-sufficiency of the handicapped.
As an aid to physical therapy and rehabilitation techniques for back, leg, foot, and ankle injuries, a number of specialized therapeutic aids such as braces or splints have been developed. In particular, special orthopedic or exercise shoes have been developed that are designed to immobilize or protect the feet, ankles, and/or joints of a wearer during exercise. These shoes protect the muscles, ligaments, and tendons between the feet, ankles, and legs from being subjected to additional stresses and possible additional injuries during rehabilitation/strengthening exercises.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,481 of Darby discloses a boot designed to fit around a lightweight cast about the ankle and foot of a patient. The boot of Darby is designed to immobilize the foot of the patient. As the patient walks, the foot is moved through a smooth gait so as to prevent the muscles, ligaments, and tendons from being subjected to stresses and strains during a normal walking motion. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,842 and 4,589,216 of Koskela and Fuscone, respectively, each disclose sole elements for athletic shoes that are designed to reduce muscular strain or stress placed on the muscles and tendons between the feet and legs of the wearer during exercise.
Thus, most conventional rehabilitative shoes or sole elements generally are directed to protecting certain ones of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons from being subjected to stresses or stretching. Such stresses would tend to work these particular muscles, ligaments, and tendons thereby strengthening them. However, conventional rehabilitative shoes such as those discussed in the foregoing fail to strengthen and develop all of the foot and leg muscles, ligaments, and tendons equally for a complete rehabilitative benefit, but, instead, are directed to relieving the stress necessary for such development.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for an exercise or orthopedic shoe that stresses and exercises the muscles, ligaments, and tendons between the feet and legs of wearers during all ranges of motion for strengthening and rehabilitating substantially all of the muscles and tendons in the legs, angles, and feet.